Photos: 2008 Phillies
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Technically, this was early yesterday morning, but for practical purposes it was late Tuesday night, and the first game of the two-game series with the New York Mets was still very much in doubt.
Kendrick and the Phillies had no choice. As that first game with New York lurched deep into extra innings, all other pitching options had been exhausted. While Kendrick was busy warming up, fans, reporters and the Phillies wondered whether the unexpected activity would prevent him from facing Mets ace Johan Santana in the series finale.
The Phils won that first matchup with the Mets in the 13th inning, and the dramatic finish saved Kendrick from being forced to pitch in relief. Still, having to get loose well in advance of a scheduled start isn't exactly an ideal scenario for a pitcher.
Last night, Kendrick ended up throwing a robust 101 pitches over five-plus innings, allowing two earned runs and eight hits. Up until the disastrous top of the eighth inning, in which the Mets scored four runs off the Phillies' bullpen to take the lead, Kendrick's numbers looked good enough to give the righthander his 12th win of the season. Instead, the Phils lost, 6-3, and Kendrick had to settle for a no-decision.
"I think he took us to a good place in the game," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said.
As Kendrick took the mound last night, questions abounded: How would the odd, extemporized workout just hours earlier affect his stuff? Would he be tired or sore or unable to go at all?
"Not at all," Kendrick said when asked whether the early-morning warm-up bothered him. "I felt fine."
Despite the home run he allowed to Carlos Delgado in the sixth, the outing was something of an improvement for Kendrick, who had struggled of late. During his three starts heading into last night's game, Kendrick was 1-2 with bloated 9.95 ERA.
With the disappointing way the game turned out, however, Kendrick was reluctant to give himself a positive performance report.
"I wouldn't say it was a quality outing," he said. "I wanted to go deep into the game, but I threw a lot of pitches and fell behind."
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